FAQ

This is a compiled list of all the questions and answers so far. This list was originally compiled by Blare731 in this thread: http://forums.cryptozoic.com/showthread.php?t=23180

Answers marked with a double asterisk were not done by a developer. If the question applies to both PvP and PvE it will most likely be found under PvP (but not everything under PvP applies to pvE).

Kickstarter
'''Anyone have any idea. the x3 sets of gift-able booster packs (Total 90 of them) can I use it on my own instead of gifting it?'''
 * **Yes you will be able to trade those boosters at release and use them on your own:

http://forums.cryptozoic.com/showthread.php?t=23011

'''I'd like some clarification on the Producer Tier. Does it also include all cards from future sets for life or is it limited to all equipment?'''
 * All cards AND equipment, for life (basically every time a new set comes out you will have 4 of every card and all the equipment to go with it)

'''Also, will the Raid Leader tiers +1 card in opening hand raise the max hand size to 8? And if you have Monkey of the 9 Tails at level 10 will your max hand size be 9 or 10 when combined with this ability?'''
 * we will included the option to “turn off” bonuses you have earned from the Kickstarter, no the Raid Leader will not raise the max hand size,

'''The web site for Hex indicates that new accounts will start with a starter and booster. I hope supporting through KS does not replace that.'''
 * The free to play game begins the player with one starter, these are specifically designed for a great new player experience, the starters that will be sold separately (and are offered as rewards on this Kickstarter are different and slightly more advanced), none of the rewards you receive thru Kickstarter will diminish what you would have received otherwise.

Do the booster pack rewards have to be used in the base set or can they be saved and redeemed on expansions?
 * **A Cryptozoic employee (OP Kyle) said on the Hex forums "The packs you get at release won't change over time, and you'll get all 150 when the game launches. When Set 2 comes out there will be an entirely different booster. However, you can indeed save those "Shards of Fate" boosters you get at launch, then trade them at a later date to someone else for future set boosters if that is what you would like to do. "

'''Am I able to split some of the rewards with friends? Say I get the King Tier, can I give my friend some of the boosters, a starter deck, and a some of the exclusive rewards? We'd like to pool our money for one of the more expensive tiers instead of getting some of the smaller ones.'''
 * Everything but account flags (eg, "The Raid Leaders Blessing") are tradable. If you get an account level reward like Guild Leader or whatnot, that will have to tie to the account that did the kickstarter, but from that point you can freely give away starters, packs, etc. to anyone.

'''Will the account bonuses like 10% xp, and raid leader +1 in starting hand be available for cash as account upgrades when game is releases? And if so is it safe to assume it will be at a more expensive rate then those who purchased theses upgrades via the pledge drive.... Or are they exclusive to the ks pledge drive?'''
 * No, we are adamant that the kickstarter rewards are really exclusive to those who were in this with us at the beginning. All of the PvE cards on the KS, the alternate art PvP cards on the KS, and the account blessing (Raid reward, Guild leaders) will never be made available again.
 * It's important I communicate that all the PvP *cards* (eg, Pack Raptor) *will* be available in boosters, just the KS ones have a different piece of art that will never be available again.
 * Finally, it's important to know all KS rewards, except 'account blessings' can be freely traded. So there will only be as many Void Marauders as there are people who donated at that level, but those people can trade them to other players if they wish.

Are all the boosters from reward Set 1 boosters or can we "claim" them for Sets 2 and Sets 3 boosters?
 * All the boosters are set 1 rewards.

Are the random gear pieces of the Dungeon Crawler tier are all Tier 1 Gear?
 * The 'Dungeon crawler' reward tier selected from the rarest gear in the game. There isn't so much a "Tier 1" or "Tier 2" in terms of gear; its much more about the cards you want to play. That said, rarer gear is generally better then its more common counterparts.

Just to be clear will it be the fee that is waived at the Pro Player tier and the player will still be required to provide their own boosters?
 * No, at the Pro Player tier we provide everything. Once a week, you can do a draft for free of any format that is available. You don't have to bring any packs or pay any money. This will last for the rest of your natural life.

'''So if i go for pro player tier(Which i have choosen for now!), i get everything need for a draft every week. Will those boosters we get, be the current new set or will it always be set 1? (Really want this answered, since it decides if i should find another tier) Also we get to keep all cards used in free draft?'''
 * How the free draft works is, each week, you will have the option, when ask for product for a draft, to click 'This is my free draft this week!'

This means you can draft any set, etc. You don't have to always draft set 1 or predict the draft.
 * It also means it's not quite the same as "3 free boosters a week". You can't trade your free draft (it's an account level privilege), but you can trade any cards you get in that draft, as well as any prizes you get.
 * Hope that helps to clear it up. Think of it as a button on the draft screen rather then something we pump into your account on a weekly basis.

'''Are you willing to consider making the boosters redeemed for the expansion of our choice instead of being forced into the first set? Otherwise you will create a massive glut of gen 1 cards, and the bonus boosters won't be worth much to anyone.'''
 * **I think the opposite true actually. Like any collectible, you can choose to save some of those packs and sell/trade them much later on. The really interesting thing here is that once a certain "series" of boosters is no longer available for purchase. The ability for new users after that time to get older booster packs is contingent on the stockpile that early adopters are sitting on for resale. You aren't going to stumble on any 1st set packs in someone's garage sale in 5-10 years. That is really interesting to me.

'''1. What is the purpose of the Kickstarter exclusive deck customizable sleeves? '''
 * 1- The sleeves are just a vanity item to let people know you were in it from the start.

'''2. Can the Kickstarter exclusive deck customizable sleeves be traded? '''
 * 2- No, you can't trade sleeves. We're going to be giving away sleeves as a reward for doing all sorts of fun things, so they're a way for you to show off that you did, indeed, do that thing.

'''Are the stretch goals set in stone, or are you guys looking for input in what some of the backers would like to see? I recall you mentioning having them saved to your desktop.'''
 * We want to hear what everyone wants, for sure! You can post here, or at our forums at http://forums.cryptozoic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=101 It's probably easier to post on the forums, just because it's better suited to having a single discussion.

Does this mean that everyone at this tier will own pretty much every single card at release?
 * The way statistics works, you'll probably have multiples of some rares and none of others, but 1-of every is a pretty close estimate. Bear in mind that you can use 4-of any card in deck construction, so there is definitely more to collect.

'''What does the "One of every non-exclusive card in the game at release" in the Dragon Lord tier mean? You get all the non-exclusive cards of set 1 cards? Or every time a new set of cards will be released, you will get one of each?'''
 * That means 1 of all the PvP and PvE cards that are there at release (not beta.) We'll give you all the Set 1 cards when the beta starts, and then once the PvE campaign releases, we will also give you 1 of all of those cards.
 * It isn't forward from that, however. You won't get 1 of every card made over the lifetime of the game.

Would be nice If guild master tier and those above it got to reserve there guild name ahead of time....just a thought
 * That's a good idea about guild registration. I'll bring it up on Monday. Guild Leaders should get a jump on naming their guild.

We get billed when it hits 300k or June 7th regardless?
 * You will be billed on June 7th if our goals are met.

Do they ad the Paypal to the fund also ?
 * **With all kickstarter projects that i have pledged, the paypal will go towards to stretch goals =]
 * Editor's note: this has already been confirmed by CZE as well.

Has anyone mentioned if donating through their site for the Kickstarter levels would end when the Kickstarter ends or will that option be up until beta/release/or even longer?
 * Yes, donations through our site will count to stretch goals.

'''Just my 2cents regarding stretch goals...at this point I would rather see money spent on adding to the game in general, not just unlocking exclusive perks for backers. At the end of the day backing a kickstarted is a vote of confidence in the finished product, not just a way to get all the things.'''
 * Each tier is adding to the game and we're using the stretch goal money to pay for those additions, either creating them or being able to obtain additional resources to get those done earlier than they would under alternative conditions. We've added authenticator, as well as an extra city to each race with additional quests. We're under $3,000 away from creating a guild tournament structure and system with prizes as well.

'''Regarding the vanity cards: are they strictly vanity or are they going to be usable? If usable are they going to have exposure as a card in an upcoming set or just personal use? Will they be PvP or PvE based? Will we receive 1 or 4 copies? If personal use, are they going to be tradeable?'''
 * The vanity cards will be usable and be in a future set of the game (so everyone can play with it). They will be tradable (as long as they aren't an AI-only card), you will get to work with us on whether they are PvP or PvE cards.

From all those booster packs we are getting on the pledge, there are any random chance to get more Primal Boosters once we open them?
 * Yes, the boosters you get from your pledge have a chance of being Primal Packs.

Will we be able to temporarily "turn off" the Kickstarter perks (specifically, the Raid Leader extra card in hand and Raid Leader's Blessing)?
 * We currently don't have plans for a player to be able to "turn off" the account perks, but it is something we could consider.

Also, does the Raid Leader perk apply to dungeons, or only to raids?
 * Raid Leader perk does not apply to dungeons.

Game Design
What is the design consideration to use MtG style resources as opposed to other alternatives?
 * The big advantage having resource cards (as opposed to 'rowing', like in WoW TCG) is that it's clear to the player that they are supposed to play that resource as soon as they can. We noticed a significant number of new players would get caught up not playing powerful cards as resources because they wanted to play that card later, and this would trick them into never reaching the necessary resources to ever play them. That just scratches the surface. The resource system is actually VERY important to CCGs, and we spent a significant amount of time trying out many alternatives before settling on this.

Release and Beta
The estimated delivery sep 2013 is that for the full game or the beta stages ?
 * September is the estimated delivery for the beta, which will have all of the PvP content and some of the PvE content.

Sounds great, when do we think the release will be summer 2014 ?
 * Summer of 2014 would be the latest, though we really want to deliver it before that. We also want to make sure the experience is as stable and exciting as possible, so I don't think we will know for certain until we enter the beta.

Weird question i know, but any plans of a post beta wipe, getting packs and such back?
 * We will not do a post-beta wipe. Once we give you something, we won't take it away in even the most seemingly kind way (eg, by refunding packs.) If you open a super rare awesome card it's yours until you decide to trade it.

'''I believe it is 300 cards that you can obtain from boosters which can be used for both PvP and PvE. Then there's additional PvE cards you can earn through PvE play.'''
 * The numbers are 350 PvP cards, about 300 PvE cards. There is no crossover between the two sets. It's 650 unique playable cards. When I say no crossovers, I mean there isn't any PvE or PvP cards that are in the other set. There are 650 unique cards. You can absolutely use PvP cards in PvE, though.

Do you have a tentative release date for the beta?
 * We're looking at a September release for the beta.

Other
'''What will this games rating be? Will there be limitations on what you can name your Guild?'''
 * the Rating for most MMO’s is TEEN, I think we fall comfortably in that range, some of the stories we are writing can be intense but over all I would say this fits into what you would consider serious high fantasy

'''Will the game require a big internet connection? I'm currently working 6 month a year in a inuit village with Satellite internet connection and wireless modems and I get a 5000 ping in online games like Path of Exile here. Wondering if the game will be playable in those condition (Drop out, Lags, ect).'''
 * The internet overhead of the game is very, very low. The amount of data that goes back and forth to the server is minimal, and we have a 3 minute reconnect timer, that if you lose connection during a game, you have 3 minutes to log back in and you will be automatically rejoined to that game. Any single player experience just uses save states, so you can actually rejoin almost any time after disconnecting.

Linux support?
 * No current plans for Linux support, I'm afraid.

There will be other language (french, german, italian, spanish etc) other than english?
 * Hello, Yes, we have plans to localize the game into many languages.

Maybe is too early to ask, but it will be translated at launch or after a certain period of time?
 * It won't be at launch, sometime after

Boosters and Buying Cards
How many cards per booster pack?
 * It's 15 cards per booster (1 Rare/Legendary, 3 Uncommon, 11 Uncommon) as well as a special treasure chest that will conatin a random goodie.

'''Will Set 1 boosters will get out of the store at some point? Like after Set 4, Set 1 is no longer available and thus make Set 1 boosters much more valuable for trading?'''
 * We don't know if we're going to make sets go 'out of print' yet or not; we plan to collect feedback from the players in that respect. Our goal is always to create the best experience for the players possible, and our decisions are always driven in that direction.

'''From what I see there is cards who are PVP only and some who are PVE only. When you say (including over 300 unique PVE cards), is some of those cards also available in PVP or PVE and PVP are exclusive and there is some middle cards who are available in both?'''
 * There are two sets; PvP and PvE; with all cards existing in either one or the other. You can use PvP or PvE cards in PvE, you can only use PvP cards in tournaments and sanctioned play, and there is an 'anything goes' format where you can play your friends using PvP or PvE cards.

So there is currently no other way to get cards for PVP except through initial pledge and buying $2 each?
 * The only way to get PvP packs is through the KS rewards, at $2 each, or as rewards for playing in drafts/constructed tournaments. We will also have an auction house, and I'd expect that PvP commons can be easily picked up off there at budget prices.

'''Also, it has been stated that all "basic resources" are free and unlimited. If you buy a starter that comes with basic resources, how are they free?'''
 * The starter decks use resources in them, but yes. All basic resources are free and unlimited. I think what people mean is that the starter decks have some in them. (Otherwise you wouldn't be able to play your cards!)

'''The game is free to play, and they've said that when you create your account, you get one starter deck for free. Does that mean that pledging at the $50 level actually nets you five starter decks?'''
 * It's only 4. The difference is that purchased starters are tradable. When you get a free starter, we won't let you trade those cards. If you buy a starter, you can trade or give those cards away.

Has the "god pack" concept been used in any other TCGs, or is this a new concept coming from Cryptozoic?
 * God packs (all rares and legendary) are new to us, I think. The big difference is they display differently, so as soon as you get one you know it's a god pack. That way you can either open it, or trade it if you want.

Gems
'''So equipment is PvE only. What about gems?'''
 * **Gems can be played in both PVP and PVE.

Are socketed gems permanently bound to the card or are they played in a game and last until the game ends?
 * Gems are not permanently bound to cards. You have to make the selections when you build you deck (not mid-game), but you can "reuse" gems across decks in the same way you can reuse cards across decks.

Organized Play
'''I would also like to know about the card rotation plan. Will there be standard and unlimited formats, or will all cards be legal to play forever?'''
 * Right now we're planned for a 2 block format, as well as an everything format. That is the current plan. We might revisit it after 2 years of data.

Can we expect different types of game modes other than 1on1?
 * You can expect modes other then 1v1 in the PvE space. Raids are 3v1 and there are several dungeons that mess around with # players on both sides in crazy ways.

'''Are you able to disclose the draft costs? I'd like to know if the free weekly draft is worth it for the Pro Player package vice some of the more collectible or ongoing in game rewards at that tier.'''
 * Draft requires you to have 3 packs and provide a small entry fee. You can get the packs for draft from anywhere; You can draft your kickstarter packs, draft with packs you won in other drafts, or with packs bought off the store.

Will it be possible for players to somehow create custom/alternate game modes?
 * Custom formats (eg, Commander) are very important to having a good, fun environment. Our client lets us manage those easily, so we plan to be very agile about supporting formats players find fun. Really, TCGs and MMOs are all about community, and we here at Cryptozoic are very aware of that. Quickly reacting to and communicating with your players is what makes a good game great.

'''Seeing the comments about PVP and PVE cards make me kinda confused. Will drafting allow us to get only PVP cards? How will we obtain the PVE cards? Through dungeon raids only? And seeing the first video, the team has already planned for set 2 and set 3. Will set 2 and 3 continue to have 300 PVP and PVE cards? The numbers just astonish me because there's normally 300 cards in 1 set.'''
 * Draft is PvP cards only. PvE cards are earned through playing the campaign. You can't get them in any other way.

'''And how will the pricing and reward structure for draft tournaments work? (Specifically, will we be able to enter drafts with the boosters we get from backing, and will we be able to keep the cards we choose after the tournament?)'''
 * Pricing for draft is 3 packs + $1. It doesn't matter where the packs come from. They can be KS rewards, you can buy them in the store, or you can use packs from previous tournament winnings.

Is it possible for you to set up a system where games -- drafts, sealed deck -- have entry requirements and possibly (marginally greater) rewards tied to a reputation or rating system?
 * Major events are paired by our ratings system, so if you get into a scheduled draft you will sit at a table with similar skilled players.
 * For our automated queues, we manage that through the prize structure. One has a structure that is significantly weighted to the two winners. A rare drafter in that game will actually improve your chances of getting the best payout. The other is geared more to people who are learning how to draft. 1st place pays more then the entry fee, but winning any 1 game out of 3 will pay something, so you can subsidize the cost just by playing well.
 * Either way, just drafting rares and bailing leaves a lot of money on the table.

Are there any plans to add a primal draft mode, either at launch or later, where everyone has to provide 3 primal packs instead of 3 normal packs and you draft out of those?
 * Wow, that would be crazy right! Maybe it is something we offer later. Thanks for the idea.

Format
'''I may have missed this, but will there be a "block" format similar to what Magic (for example) does? IE if I simply want to play PVE content with my friends, will I be *required* every so often to buy new cards?'''
 * For PvP we will have sanctioned Block tournaments (as well as other constructed formats), but PvE will never limit you. If you have it, you can play it in PvE (with a limit of 4 of each card per deck... unless a particular champion spec or equipment breaks that rule...)

Also, just to be sure, Equipment, Heroes and Talents are PVE only right?
 * Equipment, Heroes and Talents are PvE only. That includes going on raids with your friends, and there is a 'wild west' format, where you can play all that stuff against your friends. To maintain a good competitive environment, though, we want anyone to be able to jump in and play drafts immediately without having to "level up" their champion first.

'''Heroes do you mean Champions? As far as I remember, those will be used in PvP as well, but your selfmade Avatar is limited to PvE.'''
 * PvP has Champions, which are heroes with specific stats and gametext that doesn't change. There are also Heroes and Mercenaries, which are the guys who change as you level them up.

The only thing you can use in sanctioned PvP is cards from the PvP set and champions from the PvP set (we give you all of them for free). There is a 'wild west' format where you can play anything, but it's more for casual friends and for people to have fun with their friends.

'''3. What is the purpose of level in the game? '''
 * 3- As you level, you gain new talents points to spend on acquiring special talents. It lets you customize your hero to pull off things in the game you can't just do with cards alone.

'''How will dungeons and raids work? Will they merely be static maps where the players advance from one point to another similar to some iOS TCGs (e.g. War of the Fallen) or will players be able to actually explore the environments?'''
 * Dungeons are similar to War of the Fallen, though our layouts are much more complex and we have a bunch of other things on them (traps, wards, puzzles, treasures, hidden bosses, etc.)

Raids launch directly into a 3v1 game with a boss that goes through stages. This either represents a single enemy getting stronger, but more often is the partys progression through a journey to their eventual goal.

Will all dungeons and PVE raids be free to access, or will there be premium content?
 * We're not having premium content. Everything is available to anyone who can survive it. :P

How much PvE content is there going to be on beta?
 * There is an 'arena' in the Beta, which has a large number of 'minions' and 'bosses' to fight against. It's designed to let you play around with the looting system, have some neat challenges, and go for a "high score".
 * The final PvE is a much more story driven experience.

'''Approximately, how many PVE cards would there be at Set 1? And how many PVP cards would there be at Set 1?'''
 * Set 1 PvE is about 300 cards, I believe. I could be off by a bit, but it's really close to that.

Except for this part "specific PVE cards (mostly artifacts)", which I haven't noticed anything about yet, this is the current situation, yeah 
 * PvE is maybe 15% artifacts, I think. Not at my desk so I can't check. It's pretty evenly split between Diamond/Ruby/Sapphire/Blood/Wild/Artifact.

Equipment
'''Question i have yet to find the answer to, checked the website and such. Does equipment work in pvp as well? Will draft tourneys have any type of equipment?'''
 * Equipment only works in PvE, though we will support a 'PvE-PvP' format, which is a casual format where people can use their equipment, leveled champion, and cards they find in the PvE experience. (This is listed in our FAQ: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...e#project-faqs)

Rewards
Are there rewards for winning matches?
 * You get cards for completing quests as well as defeating special enemies. Finally, that can drop from treasure chests, etc.

Can they earn cards and boosters or is that all cash shop only?
 * There are basically 2 sets of cards - PvE cards, which can only be earned through the single player game (and drop from raids), and PvP cards which can only be gotten through purchased booster packs. The number of cards in each set is roughly the same.

'''Will it be possible to earn PvP cards or boosters by playing PvE, or will PvP cards only be available by paying for the boosters? I would find it disappointing if PvE would be a completely separate game that wouldn't tie in to PvP at least in the form of rewards.'''
 * You can use any PvP cards in PvE, but you can only find PvE cards through PvE. You won't find any PvP cards in PvE. That said, it's important I mention that the relative power of both PvP and PvE cards is very close. We're not promoting one over the other with "better cards".

4. How do we get PVP cards if the cards we get from PVE can only be used in PVE?
 * 4- PvP cards are all of the set cards. You get X boosters (depending on what tier you kicked into the campaign) to start, but you can buy boosters at $2 each in game.

How are mercenaries aquired (i.e. the ones we didnt just buy in the kickstarter)
 * Everyone has access to 4 base mercaneries different from those on the KS. From there, you acquire mercenaries by the alliances you create through the campaign. You get some by taking sides in major conflicts, others by rescuing them from dungeons.

I thought about the Dungeon Crawler, on the other hand I guess the question is if you get 20 rate's already and 100% to loot, doesn't that then detract from the experience of actually finding a cool rare card when you do?
 * The PvE and PvP sets were both developed by independent teams as if they were a "typical card game set". We try to pace the PvE stuff to feel like an RPG. You find new cards, incorporate them into your character, and use gold (The in game PvE currency) to buy copies of the PvE cards you love.
 * It's our belief that anyone who spends some time in PvE is going to really enjoy the core game, and then either jump into some PvP formats (like draft), or buy some packs. Not because they need the cards, but because they're having fun and want to say "thanks!".

Lore
what other attribute other than Wild do the elves use?
 * Elves use Wild only. There are two "pure magics" in the HEX universe, Wild and Blood magic, and three "gem powered" magics: Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire. Wild and Blood are the 'pure' form of magic, which requires a studied and trained individual who is born with the ability to channel power around them, where Diamond, Ruby and Sapphire are the "dirty" form of magic. Magic powered by the gems itself that require little to no practice to use.
 * Much of the conflict in the world comes from the fact that for a long time, only those who put in the effort could channel magic, but one day everyone suddenly could just use gems as a shortcut. The Elves believe in the purity of life, and are against tainting themselves by abusing gems.

Guilds
What is the max number of members a guild can contain?
 * We currently have no upper limit for guild members.

New players
I'm very new to TCG but the idea of it being online is awesome, do you guys think it will be new user friendly for some one like me ?
 * **The interface is very intuitive, because Cryptozoic isn't only trying to get TCG veterans interested in this game, but they want to appeal to new players as well. You might want to check out the gameplay video here:
 * http://hextcg.com/howtoplay/

Mobile
Editors note: Some of these answers were given before the Mobile Stretch Goal announcement

Any chance this might be headed to IOS as well?
 * Our immediate launch plans are PC and Mac, but the tech has built from the ground up for mobile.

'''I don't know if this was already asked, but do you plan for a mobile / pad release? Or maybe OUYA / Gamestick support? Maybe on stretch goals?'''
 * We are planning on a tablet/mobile release. The tech has been built from the ground up to work on tablets and mobile devices. We just don't think we can have that done in time for release, so it will come later. It's been part of the plan all along, though.

CZE General
And Cryptozoic also makes the Penny Arcade card game?
 * Correct - Penny Arcade: Gamers vs. Evil is a Cryptozoic game.

Oh, since you are going to have heaps of free time in the months ahead, please sqeek an expansion out for DC deck building for analog gaming?
 * DC 2 is insane! I mean, um, I don't know if there is a plan to release a sequel to DC Deckbuilding.